Can we go to war on the chattering class of EU/Brexit ‘commentators’ who peddle doom and pestilence, and are obviously professional naysayers? There are some serious issues to be addressed as we approach the 31st October and maybe some who are elected to represent us should take a more statesman-like view of certain issues.
This week and for the past few weeks (and if we are honest for far too much of the last three years) we have heard wall to wall ‘Brexit mania’ in all media and mostly from the doom-mongers and naysayers (‘bad news sells’?) who continually talk down the capability of our country, the United Kingdom.
We need to be optimistic, to believe and be positive that the fifth largest economy in the world will survive, and thrive and prosper, as our own sovereign nation once we have left the EU.
The past few days especially has seen us reach ‘peak hysteria’ (or at least I hope it has peaked) of those who wish to ‘do down’ our fine nation and various business sectors with their doom laden predictions of woe and pestilence, that at times take on biblical proportions.
They are trying to fulfil their own false prophecy, heightening unfounded fears and escalating the nervousness, and playing on the insecurities of those who will never willingly embrace change.
Let us be clear, the vast majority, and probably nearly all of the businesses who export to the EU (and import from them) and around the world in many cases too, had prepared quite well for the initial leaving date of 29th March, and were fully prepared that it might happen with a ‘no-deal’ scenario.
What was most damaging was having led these businesses up the hill of the ‘leaving’ issue, Parliament, with some of its ‘we know best’ MPs from all sides, decided that actually a delay was what they wanted, as they desperately continued to search for ways to ignore the democratic will of the people of the UK and the result of the referendum of 2016.
So back down the hill these business all marched again. The Continuity Remainers’ negative and ‘the end of the world is nigh’ doom-laden exhortations on any media that will embrace and trumpet their minority views, will, in the fullness of time, be exposed for what they are and were.
I am an optimist. I firmly believe in democracy and the rule of law in this proud country of ours that I have had the honour of serving in various ways over the years, and I offer a positive view of the future, realistic, yes, but definitely optimistic, and I beg to differ with all those naysayers who are so shouty and ranty.
I want however in this article to offer a specific view of a niche issue perhaps, but one that is deadly serious and of utmost importance, on the world stage. In the midst all the EU and Brexit ‘chatter’ I would like to highlight an alternative and geopolitical view.
For over two years now a number of my former City colleagues and I who worked together in the City and dealt extensively with the EU back in the late 1990s, and early part of this century, have been clear in our belief that following our vote to leave the EU needs (or wants) to put us – the UK – on our knees to ensure no other of the 27 countries in the EU tries to ‘leave’.
Some EU countries have strong ‘sovereignty’ believers who actively want to see the UK achieve a departure from the EU, as they believe that their own countries can then emulate the UK and free themselves from the tyranny of the EU’s stated ‘master plan’.
However, the EU, or parts of it, realise we in the UK are the only country in Europe, and ergo the EU, capable of ‘war’ fighting – and we have one of the busiest RAF bases in the Lincoln constituency at RAF Waddington, with numerous other bases in the county and nearby.
As night follows day there will certainly be another situation, possibly soon, where our armed forces are needed, perhaps multi-faceted, and maybe, initially, for ‘show’ but they will be needed, and be needed to be credible too.
Potentially they will also be needed, practically, to demonstrate their, or more correctly, our, realistic capability. Without the UK the EU has no hope of being able to field any military capability, of any worth, at all, and it never will have due to the political orientation and history of the vast majority of the other 27 member states.
Putin knows this, and so do the Chinese. British forces have time and again come to the rescue of Europe, from the period of the Catholic Succession when we in the UK defended the Protestant Low Countries from domination by the stronger and larger Catholic powers, through to Napoleon’s attempt to dominate Europe from the Iberian Peninsula through to Moscow, as well as the more widely recognised both World War I and World War II, and then throughout the Cold War towards the end of the 20th Century.
If they, the EU, and their failed German ex-Defence Minister as the new EU President, put the UK on its knees, we shall be less able to help Europe in the future; if they try and fail to put us on our knees, people, especially in the UK, will be less inclined to help Europe, when it needs help; and in behaving like this the EU shows it is just a power whose only concern is its own survival.
And if it behaves in this way to an erst-while proud and sovereign nation, the blood of whose citizens have been spilt over centuries to protect and create a better Europe – what rights and protections can present day ordinary people rely on for their freedoms and liberties looking forward?
We in the UK, may well be relatively or marginally poorer, perhaps*, for a while after leaving the EU, but we will be freer.
* …but it is by no means certain. For example in the longer term, today, DB in Germany have stated that the UK will be in a very positive and ‘richer’ position after leaving the EU.”
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Karl McCartney was the Conservative Lincoln MP between 2010 and 2017. He is now the Conservative candidate for the city for the next general elections.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The City of Lincoln Council could close some of its public toilets in a bid to save £82,000 a year.
The authority has gone out to consultation on plans to close the urinals at The Lawn on Union Road and Newport Arch permanently, while only reopening facilities at Lucy Tower and Westgate car parks only for special events.
Under the proposals, toilet attendant jobs will be lost, while a new city-wide scheme will change access to disabled loos to be by an electronic card registered to a specific user.
Steve Bird, Assistant Director for Communities and Street Scene at City of Lincoln Council, said: “With cuts to our budgets now being necessary in many areas of the council as a result of COVID-19, including in the public conveniences service, we are looking at how best we can make savings whilst mitigating the impact on users.
“Through this consultation we are looking for the public to comment on some options under consideration.
“Although providing toilets is not a statutory duty for local authorities, we appreciate that these facilities are important in our city, not only for local residents but also for our visitor economy.
“This is why we are doing everything we can to ensure we get the best possible balanced outcome and the results of this consultation are important to us.”
The authority plans to retain toilets at the bus station, Castle Square, Tentercroft Street, Boultham Park, Hartsholme Country Park and the cemetery toilets.
Sincil Street facilities will be closed until the refurbishment of the market is completed.
They said the change to the way disability facilities were accessed was due to “some abuse of the alternative Radar key system” including damage to the facilities.
Public toilets at Tentercroft Street car park. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Access to public toilets will also be changed to take card payments as well as cash.
Sarah Loftus of Lincoln BIG said there were questions to be answered over how the disabled facilities would work for visitors to the city in order to reassure them they would be welcomed.
“How do you make visitors aware that the scheme exists and make it easy for them to have access to it?” she asked.
She added: “From a High Street perspective, good quality public toilets are really important to keep the high street alive.
“I understand if they need to close them because they become too old and they’re not good enough, and they’re going to be replaced and put something in that’s better, that’s good.
“But we saw very early on when the pandemic started and things started to open up there was a real need for the public toilets, because a lot of the cafes and restaurants were shut.”
A consultation on the proposals will take place until Sunday, February 7.
The new asymptomatic COVID rapid testing centre in Lincoln completed nearly 200 coronavirus tests in its first day.
The facility St Swithin’s Community Centre on Croft Street, off Monks Road, opened on Monday after relocating from Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium. It has so far found one positive case which had not shown symptoms — a rate of 0.53%.
So far 6,556 people have been through the rapid testing centres in Boston and Lincoln and 83 asymptomatic cases have been found, a positivity rate of 1.27%, down on 1.83% the week started with.
The breakdown for the rapid testing centres in Lincolnshire:
Lincoln LNER – 2,298 tests, 42 positive (1.83%)
Haven High Boston – 1,550 tests, 12 positive (0.77%)
Peter Paine Boston – 2,499 test, 28 positive (1.12%)
St Swithin’s, Monks Road, Lincoln – 189, 1 positive (0.53%)
Overall – 6,556 tests, 83 positive (1.27%)
The St Swithin’s centre allows those who live in the area to attend on a walk-up basis at the site, which will be open daily from 8am to 8pm until February 7.
There is no need to book and people can just turn up to the centre.
Online/follow-up testing will take place at the site between 9am and 3pm.
Anyone who appears positive on a lateral flow (rapid) test is encouraged to return for a confirmatory test using the PCR method (48 hours results).
The rapid turnout tests are supplied by NHS Test and Trace and deliver results within an hour via text message and/or email.
The initiative is run by City of Lincoln Council, in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Health bosses are hoping for funding for further centres to open, along with re-opening the LNER, however, this has not yet been confirmed.
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 18 to Jan 25. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite